


First Name Terms

by KangKorandKoloth



Series: Assorted Shunnao One Shots [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Bickering, Conversations, Dialogue Heavy, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, treating a minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-05 04:30:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4165971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KangKorandKoloth/pseuds/KangKorandKoloth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An injured Shunsui reluctantly seeks help from Nanao. Dialogue heavy and slightly angsty with a fluffy ending</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Name Terms

**Author's Note:**

> This story evolved from me thinking Nanao and Shunsui sitting at a desk whilst Nanao treated some kind of injury Shunsui had would make an interesting scene. It mutated into this monster, I'm very sorry :)  
> 

The juxtaposition of deep, wet red on the white of his haori was vibrant, horrifying. Then there were the knife like jabs of pain which left his head woozy and unfocused. So much blood for such a little cut he thought, not that it worried him; he’d had so much worse over the years. This was nothing.

“Here, let me look at that”

Her voice cut through the fog, authoritative, calm; she was always so good in these kinds of situations a heavenly sound for the bruised and battered.

Gods, of all the places he could have gone, why did he choose here? He should have walked in the opposite direction, rather than telling the others he’d try his luck back at the barracks; thinking one of the lower seats would be able to patch him up just as well as anyone in squad four, it was hardly as if he were bleeding to death. It was just his luck he’d run into Nanao too, the last person he wanted to see at that moment. He hadn’t counted on running into her, it was the time of day she was at her busiest; he should have been able to pass her by, with no need to mention it later. Things had a strange way of working out sometimes. She’d taken one look at him and ushered him into her office before he’d had the chance to protest.

“No, it’s fine Nanao-chan, just a scratch”

He was pushing her away and not for the first time. Why did he always do that? Thankfully for him, she was persistent;

“It’s a bit more than that, you’re as white as a sheet, Captain I must insist…”

“Shunsui,” he corrected, a new habit of his,

He’d been determined for some time now to break down the barrier she’d erected between their relationship and work, removing titles and dropping the formalities he saw as the first step. She ignored him; it was hardly the time he conceded.

She reached out towards him; hands sliding the haori off each shoulder then touching lightly, cautiously, tugging the material slowly away from his arm. The cloth was already congealed and sticking to his skin. He gently placed his good arm on hers, halting her action momentarily,

“I told you I’m fine”

“If you’re as fine as you say, then you won’t mind me taking a look”

She had him there; he searched for any kind of rebuttal, drawing a blank and reluctantly placed his arm on the hard wood of the desk submitting to her examination with a grunt. Each movement was another stab of pain, the last one causing him to gasp, much to his shame, as the haori lifted away a blast of air hitting the wound, making it sting. His mind descended temporarily into mist.

“Sorry”

She noticed his discomfort, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, attempting to reassure him, He glanced down at his wound, a long laceration covering the length of his forearm. She was right; it was a lot more than a scratch. The stench of blood hung in the air, the tang of metal pervading his senses, turning his stomach. He was fortunate she’d picked up on it; the alternative didn’t bear thinking about.

She was looking at the cut now, nose wrinkled as she tried to assess the damage, fingers moving gingerly, scared of doing more than harm than good.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me how you managed to do this to yourself?” she asked

“Training,” he replied “I dodged left when I should have gone right, just bad luck”

She raised an eyebrow, surprised,

“Bad luck is an understatement”

Careless too for someone like him, he thought, certain it had crossed her mind even if she hadn’t spoken it aloud.

A quick flash of light, words muttered under her breath that he didn’t quire catch; some kind of healing kido he presumed and the bleeding started to slow. He hadn’t known she could do that, she made him marvel sometimes, always full of surprises.

“I need bandages and some water; will you be okay by yourself?” she asked, adjusting her glasses leaving a red fingerprint on the frames.

He felt like a ticking time bomb, a child who couldn’t be left alone for his own safety. She was worried about coming back to find him slumped unconscious on the desk. Her eyes betrayed her, a shadow of apprehension reflected there.He didn’t want her to be doing this; not when there was a perfectly good medical squad. Her hands, those wonderful, slender fingers, were already stained red as was her sleeve, the cuff bearing fingerprint blushes of crimson. The sight made for uneasy viewing. Those hands weren’t meant to be stained with blood.

“This isn’t your job; I’ll pay a visit to squad four, let them deal with it”

redistributing his weight,he stood, thinking the faster he left the less she could protest only for the subsequent turn toward the door to cause the room to spin and lurch

“Captain!” there was an edge of panic in her voice.

Nanao was there in an instant, her small body propping him up, guiding him back to the chair. It stuck him in that moment, just how much bigger he was in every way to her, his figure swamping hers twofold, her arm around his waist just about reaching the middle of his back. He tried not to place too much weight on her; worried that if she gave way under him, they’d both be in trouble. She didn’t though; the woman so much stronger than he gave her credit for.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, weakly, not really believing it himself “I’ll just rest here for a second then I’ll be on my way”

“You’ll do no such thing. You’ve lost a lot of blood. Let me do this”

The last part came out over anxious, pleading perhaps. He’d worried her more than she was letting on. He hadn’t wanted to do that.

Nevertheless, it looked like there’d be no getting out of it. She could be doggedly insistent at times, her face holding that expression she reserved only for the most wayward of squad members. He’d been on the receiving end of that look more times than he cared to admit.

“I’m going to go get some things, can I expect you to still be here when I get back or am I going to have to seal the door?”

It wasn’t much of a choice,

“You’d seal an invalid in a room by himself? That’s so cruel Nano-chan”

“It’s for you own good, you’re in no condition to be going anywhere right now, and besides I only said I’d do it if you didn’t co-operate”

He nodded meekly, her reasoning sound as always and chose the path of least resistance.

“Ok, ok, ok. I guess you win this one. I’ll stay here, no need to seal the door”

“That’s better,” Her expression eased, treating him to a kind smile, he really did feel like a child now “I won’t be long”

She turned gracefully and headed towards the door, feet padding softly on the tatami, picking up his discarded haori as she did so, folding it neatly and placing it on a side table near the window.

“One more thing” he called out stopping her in her tracks, her head turning to meet his gaze “can we please drop the formalities?”

It appeared this wasn’t a discussion she was willing to have right now, the door slammed unceremoniously on his words with an efficient click. From somewhere inside the building he heard water pipes groan and clank, the whoosh of water heating. She hadn’t gone far, he decided, probably not far enough to make another escape attempt and worry about her reaction later.He resigned himself to his fate; sinking deeper into the chair, stretching his legs out, heels digging into the floor and removed his hat. He tossed it idly in the general direction of the rest of his things hearing it miss its mark and land on the floor with a soft pat, truly he was beyond hope today, taking the moment of quiet to catch his breath. The room felt less stifling now; his head clearer, whatever she’d done it seemed to be working.

The door opened again, she entered; holding basin, bandages and wash cloth, to his relief her hands rinsed, free from the horror of they had so recently held. Placing the items down on the desk; she pulled another chair over from the bookcase and sat down beside him.

They were shoulder to shoulder now; he appreciated her closeness, the small intrusion into his space, finding it calming; a distraction from where he found himself right now. He fought back an urge to take her in his arms, just to keep that feeling of comfort a bit longer, to have it surround him. It would have to wait until later, if first names were off the table to her here, It was reasonable to assume embraces were too.He’d most likely find himself pushed away with a dent in his ego to match the wound.

Wringing the cloth out, she began to dab at the cut, spikes of pain needling him at each contact, his fingers curling and muscles tensing.

“Sorry Captain, I’ll get this done as fast as I can”

And again, there it was.

“I asked you to drop the formalities”

She rinsed the cloth and began again; lips pursed, brow furrowed,

“We’re at work, you’re my Captain and I'm your Lieutenant, I’d prefer it if they remained while we’re here”

“Would you make an exception for an invalid?” the corners of his mouth turning up into a weak but hopeful grin,

“For someone who’s spent the last few minutes insisting he’s fine, you’re very fond of referring to yourself as an invalid”

“You’re the one insisting on treating me”

“Not that you’re making it easy, you keep moving your arm away”

As much as he hated to admit it, she had a point. Every pat of the cloth had caused him to flinch, his arm moving further away from her; moments before she’d had to stop, re positioning it back to the center of the desk before he could remove it completely.

“That’s because it hurts” he gritted his teeth as she resumed her work, the words coming out strained

“Well, stop being so difficult and let me treat it then”

“This isn’t your job; you don’t need to look after me and I am not being difficult”

“Maybe I want to look after you”

The look on her face was adoring; her features earnest and eager, wanting to please, he loved that look; the words however, the last thing he wanted to hear.

“That’s very sweet Nanao-chan but-” Her face fell, his heart sinking knowing he was the cause of it,

“But…?” she cut in repeating his last word with an edge of trepidation

“But,” he took a deep breath, knowing he was in too deep now to get out of an explanation “I don’t need you do to that, I’m more than capable of taking care of the both of us”

He’d clearly hit a nerve. The look on her face told him if he hadn’t been bleeding so heavily not long before, he’d have regretted that comment.

“So you’re saying I’m incapable then?”

Her spare hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into the palm, a lightning flash of anger zooming across her eyes before vanishing again, he kept calm, hoping he could explain his way out of it.

“No, not at all, you’re as exceptional as always. I wasn’t aware you knew any healing Kido, you never cease to amaze me”

“Then why do you not want me to help you?” there was frustration hidden under a manner of forced calm

“Is it so wrong to want to look after you?”

“That’s not what I asked and you know it.”

“It’s more or less the same thing; the way I see it, I’m here to do that for us, it’s not something you need to concern yourself with”

She flew off the handle, any calm forced or otherwise completely dissipating.

“Don’t patronize me! I’m perfectly capable of knowing what not to worry about without your help”

“I’m not, I would never - I’m only saying –“

Back tracking would do no good now, justification the only way forward, not that she was in the mood to hear it.

“You’re only saying that I shouldn’t worry my head about such trivial things as your well being! That I need you to do that for me!”

It sounded so much worse when she said it, hearing it out loud made each and every word sound ridiculous, misconstrued, whatever meaning he’d intended them to have completely lost.

“I’m sorry I take it back, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It means a lot to me that you want to worry about me Nanao-chan. It's incredibly flattering that a lovely girl such as you thinks I'm worthy of her concern. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings"

She looked more disappointed than angry now, he eyes pointed towards the floor, clouded and sad.

“You need to stop putting me on a pedestal” It was a request rather than statement,

She was right and he knew it, they’d had this conversation before, many times in fact. It always ended the same way, even if he thought he saw it her way; it felt like he'd never be able to stop. It was impulsive; an overwhelming need on his part. The most frustrating instinct he had when it came to her.

He wasn’t sure when it had started but knew it had started small. Little things crept in, just big enough to for him to notice but still small enough for him to dismiss easily, seeing them as unimportant, such as feeling uneasy watching her train with the rest of the squad. It was jarring, setting him on edge, what ifs beginning to course through his mind, one blow, one misstep and then what? Pain? Injury? Nothing any other squad member wouldn’t have to deal with at one time or another, it came with the territory but yet with her, his thoughts made the mere idea unbearable. There was something about that image, the idea of her lying on the ground, injured and stricken with nothing he could do to prevent it. It held power over him, distorting and affecting his judgement. She had always had a strange effect on him, unique from anyone else in fact, but over time it seemed to amplify until it pervaded his every interaction.

Before he knew it, the problem had spread. It was funny how one slip could allow the floodgates to open, sweeping you away from what you saw as the normal. He began to want her away from the more physical aspects of the job; thinking patrols were no place for her, not what she was suited to, her talents laying elsewhere. Any action he could have taken to prevent her would have been futile though. She wouldn’t have let him keep her away from the job even if it had crossed his mind to try, he was besotted and irrational yes, but he was smart enough to know that it would be a hiding to nothing.

He was left in a bizarre limbo, watching her go with the others, his tongue bitten, a smile forced; followed by clock watching, waiting for her safe return, breathing a sigh of relief when she whisked back into the office, perfectly unharmed, muttering about what little work he’d done whilst she was out. No matter how many times she came back to him the old fear still remained, knowing it would only take the one time for her to not return and to shatter his universe .

He used to make jokes, quips about how one of the perks of the lieutenant’s role was to slack off from those sorts of jobs. She never believed him, her relationship with her predecessor leaving him at a disadvantage, her memory of that time better than he expected it to be.

That was half the problem though, her predecessor, Lisa . Her absence haunted the both of them like some half-forgotten phantom, the elephant in the room that neither of them talked about anymore. They once had, many years ago; she had been a favorite topic of theirs, the two of them having happy memories to share, falling out of favor the longer she was gone. Perhaps that needed to change, maybe talking about it again might help him kick the habit, exorcise the ghost as it were. If anyone would understand that, Nanao would. She knew Lisa's disappearance had affected him, but he'd never given her a real explanation as to how. He'd never been able to really articulate it, likening the feeling to losing a close relative like a sister or a niece, leaving a odd gap that couldn't really be replaced or filled. They'd been no closer than any other Captain and Lieutenant but having worked together for long, he'd grown fond of her, relied upon her in fact. 

He’d kept the lieutenants spot open after her departure for a long time, for too long some might say. If he were honest, some part of him had hoped for her return, for the whole thing to have been some kind of crass misunderstanding. It wasn’t and she never did come back, he’d read the reports and made some uneasy peace with the whys and wherefores, but it didn’t bring her back.

Time and time again since Lisa had gone, he’d told himself he couldn’t lose another Lieutenant, not wanting a repeat, to put so much faith in someone only to lose them on orders given by him on hiss watch. It applied even more so after Nanao took the post.Perhaps that’s what did it; he was sure, other than wanting to protect the one you loved, none of this had been a problem before she made Lieutenant.

He’d gotten worse though, today showed that. He couldn’t even vocalize what risk he thought her treating a wound would pose. It was beyond ridiculous now. Now he knew she cared for him, it heightened things; the images in his head disquieting to the point of painful. The stuff of nightmares.

He was doing his best. It was something he told himself every time she brought it up, taking more care in his actions and words; trying so desperately to ditch the habit, falling back into the comfort of normality after a matter of days or when he’d thought she’d forgotten. It wasn’t good enough, not for her, he was short changing her, taking away something away from her. Today she’d gone above and beyond, reinforcing just how amazing she was and proving her worth for the umpteenth time, that should be enough for him.

He, on the other hand, needed to do better.

“I’m doing my best Nanao-chan, I know how much this means to you. Pretend I never said anything? Please”

“You need to try harder” the words flat, her voice void of earlier emotion

“I will, you have my word on it”

“Promise me” the words were unexpected from her, she’d never asked him to promise her anything before. There was a first time for everything.

“How can I ever refuse you? Yes, of course, I promise I'll try harder”

 _Bear with me; I’ll try so much harder, if it means that much, I will do whatever it takes_.

She paused, then inclined her head in acknowledgement seemingly reassured albeit uneasily and returned to her work, busying herself with his mangled arm, pressing even more gingerly now. It was clear she saw the matter as closed. There was nothing left to say, what more could be said?

The atmosphere was lifting; bad feeling dispersing into the silence, not entirely removed, a razor like edge of tension hiding in plain sight. She seemed more relaxed, intent on her work and he let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. On a whim, an attempt to lift the mood, he decided a change of conversation was in order and pressed forward with his earlier question, 

“You called me by my name at breakfast this morning” the statement sounded petulant; wheedling,

“That was different; it was just you and me then.” She didn’t miss a beat, knowing what he could be like.

The wound finally clean, she mercifully removed the cloth, preparing bandages to dress it.

“It’s just the two of us right now” he pointed out

“So it is.”

She was thinking out every word, ceasing her action to concentrate on her response, the bandages lain out in neat ribbons across her desk.

“But this is- this is the office, not your quarters or mine. It’s still different” she finally replied, watching him warily.

“Ok, I’ll concede the locale isn’t the same as this morning but the situation is. You and I alone; I can’t think of a better reason for us to be using first names “

“Nothing deters you, does it?”

“Not when it comes to you.”

He’d forced a smile from her; it was almost as good as getting his way, the corners of her lips turning up as she fumbled with bandages, squaring up his arm, working out where best to begin.

Her fingers tugged at the sleeve of his kosode, material soaked in warm water, clinging to him, aggravating and sore. He gritted his teeth looking down towards the floor. After a moment she sighed;

“I can’t get to the area to dress it Captain, I’m going to need you to take this off”

The request was brusque, business-like as if she’d asked him for nothing more than to sign some papers.

“You’re asking me to strip and still you call me Captain, that’s not very romantic now is it?”

“I’m asking you to let me dress your wound, Captain” the last word was deliberate; she was trying to prove a point.

“It’s not like you to be that childish Nanao”

“Do you want me to treat this or not?”

“Only if you call me by my name, while you do it”

“Now who’s being childish?”

Stalemate and he knew for one, he wasn’t going to give ground. Their eyes met hers cold yet thoughtful, weighing up her options. “Ok, fine. I’ll call you by your name” it was begrudging, perfunctory so she could complete her Self-imposed task nothing more

“I appreciate it, thank you”

He finally obliged her, his good arm loosening the front and shrugging the garment off one shoulder, his wound meaning he couldn't quite manage the rest of it.

“Let me help Cap-,“ She stopped just before he could pick her up on her misstep, correcting herself “Shunsui”

She looked back up at him, almost as if to say, _are you satisfied now?_

“That would be helpful, thank you” he answered, deciding to be graceful in victory

She took over again, the rest of the material falling away with a soft rustle. The action, kind and welcome and the feeling of comfort returning, lingering the closer she stayed. She was warm and he could smell the soothing scent of her perfume, a gift from him to her if he remembered correctly, as she leaned in, beginning to wind the dressing, pulling the material tight.

“So tell me more about the difference between now and breakfast” he asked, pushing his luck as far as he dared

She rolled her eyes, perhaps muttering something under her breath too quiet for him to make out. She was doing that a lot today.

“I’ve told you, it’s just different."

“Now that’s not really an answer is it?”

“We’ve already discussed this, do I need to repeat myself?”she snapped, the forgotten air of tension ramping up again, She pulled the bandages tighter, a reflex action, forcing an involuntary gasp from him as the material dug into his skin. Realizing her mistake, she began to loosen her handiwork, whirling the material anti-clockwise

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, I should pay more attention to what I'm doing” she mumbled, a tone of melancholy pervading each word

“Stop apologizing, I’d rather you answered my question properly”

She finished the dressing, securing the bandage at both ends.

“I’ve told you, I think it’s best if we keep things a bit more formal here.”

“Why?” he asked, She looked suspicious, doubting the integrity of his question, he took her hand in his, an attempt at smoothing ruffled feathers,causing her to glance down, her attention now properly focused on him.

“No really, I’m interested to hear why you think that”

She seemed surprised, but intrigued nevertheless. Studying him for a moment, her gaze making him feel weirdly exposed in his current state, her lips moving the tiniest of fractions as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t quite articulate it.

“Go on, I promise you won’t offend me” he encouraged hoping they were finally getting somewhere

She huffed, exasperated,

“Why is it so important to you anyway?”

“Because you are the woman I love, the light of my life, my Nanao-chan. Why wouldn’t I want you to call me by my name all the time? ”

“That’s not a reason”

“It’s reason enough for me, but we’re off topic. You were going to tell me the difference between now and breakfast”

Silence. She looked away, at anywhere in the room rather than at him the desk, the floor, the window, busying herself again with the bowl and other items, clanging and bashing trying to distract. She wasn’t fooling him,

“You were going to tell me something before, why don’t you say it? You never know, I might surprise you”

She got up, pulling her chair back towards its original starting point the legs screeching in protest against the floor. Task completed she paused for a moment, scanning the titles on the bookcase, eyes rolling across bindings of green and gold. This was getting unbearable, a knot forming in his stomach,hoping her reluctance to talk wasn't any of the hundred and one scenarios playing through his head right now.

“Nanao, stop stalling and tell me, please, you’re starting to worry me”

Her shoulders seemed to sag, body shrinking as she turned back towards him,

“This is still pretty new - what we have I mean," she was jumbling her words, struggling to articulate "it's still early days isn't it?”

That was it? That was what she’d been so reluctant to say? The vice like apprehension that had been surrounding him, vanished as quickly as it come; all the worst case scenarios  wonderfully voided by her words.

“Yes, I suppose it is” he conceded,

It had been what, all of two months now, no time at all in the grander scheme of things.

“So then,” she continued, that glint of apprehension returning, eyes hesitant, her mouth a thin anxious line “there is every chance that we may go back to where we were”

“And when you say, go back to where we were, you mean-” he coaxed still sensing her difficulty to get the words out,

 “Part ways, yes”

It seemed they were at the heart of the matter. She came back to the desk and picked up the bowl, placing it on a side table near the door, facing away from him.

“That worries you doesn’t it?” he asked, rising from the chair

“Not at all,” she was back to business like again, as if someone had flicked a switch making her remember where she was and how she thought she should be behaving, the tone put on, unnatural this time, speaking too quickly,“I just think some things are better left, just in case. It’ll be easier that way”

He could have kissed her at that moment, if that all it was, then the problem was solvable with enough time and patience on both their parts. Not something that needed to be worried about. Surely everyone thought like that in a new relationship. She wasn’t like that though, it was in her nature to plan and worry. If the right words existed to convince her otherwise, to ease her mind he wished they’d come to him now.

“Very practical, Nanao-chan, efficient in fact, however I think you’re overlooking something”

He embraced her, pulling her small frame toward him, the rough cotton of her uniform brushing against the bare skin of his chest, thinking if she objected he would apologize later, right now gut instinct told him they both needed the contact, her body fitting so neatly to his. She was facing away from him, her figure limp, arms by her side, head bent making no indication that he’d even moved from the chair, let alone put his arms around her. 

She turned to face him, pensive and somber, waiting for the answer he was yet to give,

“Life’s too short. We have now; neither of us should be worrying about the practicalities of things that may never come to pass”

“Maybe you should consider taking your own advice” 

The statement was a bolt from the blue, her response almost instantaneous, capturing his intrigue;

“How so?” 

“You say life’s too short for me to worry about the future; then perhaps it’s also too short for you to keep me at arms-length? Why risk the regret?”

It was true and he was in no position to lecture her otherwise. Thinking for a moment, he ventured forward an idea striking him.

“Ok, so how about we make a deal?”

he could practically see her mind whirring. Using her thoughtful state to his advantage, he continued,

“How about, you drop the formalities; call me by my name all the time. Stop worrying about where we might be tomorrow, or the day after that and I’ll let you in, I'll let you look after me and worry about me and anything else you see fit. If I slip up, you can go back to calling me Captain”

"You won't do it, I'll believe it when I see it" 

He couldn't blame her for the strong words, he'd hardly demonstrated that he'd be able to keep his side of the bargain, 

"So harsh Nanao-chan," He murmured affectionately "I made you a promise to stop putting you on a pedestal. Through that I shall strive to prove you wrong."

He felt her arms wrap around him, at the moment it was the greatest feeling in the world; he drew her closer resting his un-bandaged arm across her shoulders. The cloud around her seemed to lift a little, that could only be a good thing.

“And if you slip up you'll stop bugging me? ”

“ I guarantee it”

For a few moments more she considered, leaving him on tenterhooks waiting before putting him out of his misery with a curt nod , 

"Ok, I think I'd be prepared to give it a shot"

It was the best thing he'd heard all day, 

"You don't know how much that means to me, thank you"

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, resting there for just a moment breathing her in. He was determined not to let her down, never wanting to go back to where they were.


End file.
